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Monday, June 27, 2011

I've always admired people with cool dogs, especially fellow runners who have dogs that run with them for miles and miles.

As children, my wife and I both grew up with dogs in the house. But, we'd never made the commitment to take care of a dog in our adult lives.

We had cats, three of them. Still do.

We also have children, three of them, under the age of 6.

So, with three cats and three kids in the house, why not get a dog, too? It had to be a puppy, of course, so that it can learn to live with those three cats and three kids.

Thus, with the expression of a proud parent, I introduce Charlie. He's an Aussie/Border Collie mix that my wife managed to find at a sort of local rescue organization. He's awesome. And, in about twelve months, it's my understanding that he'll be old enough to begin training as a running partner. We have to get past house training first, though.

Monday, June 20, 2011

I saw the following video on Anton Krupicka's blog today. Most videos about running of any kind tend to be overproduced or silly, usually because they're commercials for shoe companies.

But, this video featuring 2010 Western States winner Geoff Roes is every bit as inspirational as Krupicka implies. I'm a sucker for gorgeous trails and immense mountain landscapes. Put that in a video with a guy who talks casually about training for some of the coolest ultras in the world, and you've got me clickin' the play button.

So, if you haven't already seen this video somewhere else on the vast interweb, enjoy!

Introduction

The Falls Lake Trail along the south side of Falls Lake comprises part of the extensive NC Mountains to Sea Trail (NCMST). It's easily accessed from several parking areas, some of which are open throughout the day.

Reviews of the Falls Lake Trail will reference the 17 trail sections depicted on the excellent GPS map posted here. I will not be posting these section reviews in numerical order. So, if you're wondering whether I've already reviewed another Falls Lake Trail section, check this page for a list of what's been covered.

This review of Section 5 is my first installment in the Falls Lake Trail review series.

Running the Trail

Heading West from the Bayleaf Church Rd. trail head, which is a little hard to find from the parking area, Section Five takes you downward over pine-needle-covered rocks and roots. The elevation increases gradually, as you find the substantial tree cover and shade a refreshing change from your sunny drive to Falls Lake.

Section Five continues up and down a couple more modest hills and eventually leads you to a bridge over a small inlet. Take in a marvelous view of the lake from this low perspective and continue running around the slightly rock-laden bend in the trail to proceed.

With the exception of a few rocky sections on the path, the terrain is fairly consistent. The soft dirt is covered by a thin layer of ground foliage from past seasons. There will be an occasional area with a thicker layer of freshly fallen leaves, thereby increasing the chance of slipping. But, overall, footing is good on Section Five.

With little more than a quarter mile to go before reaching the turnaround point, you'll find yourself on a more expansive path with gently rolling hills ahead of you. The trail is somewhat difficult to see here, because it blends easily with the rest of the non-technical terrain. But, you'll find your way. Don't worry.

You'll see a private residence to your left as you cross into denser forest again and head downward to a stream bed. Hopping over the tiny water crossing and climbing up another hill, the sound of cars will mingle with the chirping birds and insects. And, you'll know to look up from the trail as the bright sun reflects off the guardrails along Six Forks Rd., blinding your shade accustomed eyes.

You've reached Six Forks Rd. Turn around here if you only plan to run this trail section.

If you turn right at the and of the guard rail, you'll be continuing on to Section Six of the Falls Lake Trail. But, this is a review of Section Five. So, turn around to get that full 2.6 miles covered while enjoying the hills and views you just experienced from the other direction.

My Favorite Features of Section 5 on the Falls Lake Trail:

The feeling of immediate seclusion as you head down the hill from the trail head on Bayleaf Church Rd.

Getting There

The best option for parking is at the Bayleaf Church Rd. boat ramp access area. Sometimes the gate is closed, in which case you'll just park on the side of the road outside the gate. Being that this isn't a particularly busy section of road, you're relatively safe parking here. From the gate, you'll head a couple hundred feet towards the water and look to your left when you see a paved entrance to the parking lot. The trail head is sort of hidden among the trees at the corner here.

Don't be confused by the trail head entrance on your right. That one's for Section Four, which is also a nice trail. But, if you've read this review and expect to run on Section Five, you'll be confused if you run on Section Four instead, which is about twice as long and a little more technically challenging. You'd be all, "WTF was that guy writing about? There's no fancy inlet or dearth of rocks on this trail!"

Anyway, the trail head will be on the left if you're looking at the water. There's a little wooden sign.

Alternatively, you could park along the roadside on Six Forks Rd. But, this particular roadside isn't as conducive to parking as other areas along the Falls Lake Trail. So, I'd advise against that.

Summary

Section Five of Falls Lake's trail is nice. It's not as Challenging as Umstead's Sycamore or Company Mill trails. But, it's still a decent trail to run.

It's even better to run when you add another section to it. I mean, who wants to drive out to Falls Lake and fend off vicious deer flies just to run 2.6 miles? So, definitely make a point of adding Section Six or Section Four to your Section Five run.

The Falls Lake Trail Section Five Elevation Profile.

I'm terribly sorry to tell you that I do not have the usual graphical depiction of the elevation for this trail, not at this time, anyway. Since I'm too cheap to own a GPS device, I must rely on my Internet searching skills to find the elevation image.

As you can see, there are a lot of colors—something for everyone, I'd say. And, I give Inov-8 high marks for offering so many color varieties. (That's the review portion of this post)

This is how you do it, people. This is how you sell more of the same shoe without spending extra money on testing new technologies every year, adjusting the toe box, or introducing some sort of extra plastic thingy in the midsole. Just use the same mold to churn out new, flashy colors and make your aesthetically-conscious fans salivate.

I have two pairs of the f-lite 230 in my running shoe rotation already. As you know, there are other shoes in my rotation, too.

Do I need another pair of f-lites? Hell no!

Do I want another pair of f-lites? Yes! Look at those lime green ones, dammit! Look at those bright orange ones!

There are other shoes I intend to try. I have a four-month acquisition plan. But, damn if these new f-lite 230 colorways aren't tempting.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

I'm going to go out on a limb here and pretend that more than one North Carolina trail runner accidentally reads this blog on occasion. So, I want to pose the following question:

What is the best trail you've run in North Carolina?

Guidelines (Because you'll wonder)

Please respond in the comment area below this post. Provide as much validation for your response as you like.

No, there is not a prize—unless you count my appreciation as a reward.

Yes, you may respond with the name of a park or a race instead of a specific trail.

Obviously, this is a purely subjective thing to consider. Your answer will be neither right nor wrong. (Okay, it's wrong if you answer with the name of a paved road. Trails are unpaved in this case)

You don't even have to run on trails very often. But, you can't hate trails. I don't want you to play if you're a hater.

Know, too, that you do not necessarily need to respond with the name of your favorite trail or park. A favorite thing implies that you partake of it frequently. However, your best trail run may have occurred once or twice in the past. And, due to geographic limitations, you aren't able to run the best trail as often as you'd like.

My motivation for asking this question is to simply find out where a trail runner will be happy in North Carolina. With all the trail races to choose from over the coming months and vacations to be planned, a discerning runner needs to know.